US law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges is to close its Budapest office with the 20 strong team transfering over to UK firm Bird & Bird. The move, which takes place on 1 February, will see Weil Budapest managing partner David Dederick become co-head of Bird & Bird Budapest alongside the current head, Peter Knight. Joining Bird & Bird are two partners, three senior counsel and a team of 15 lawyers. In a statement, Bird & Bird said that the new 'operation will continue to work closely with Weil, Gotshal & Manges to assist their global clients. Weil, Gotshal & Manges will close their Budapest office on 1 February 2018 but will have ongoing cooperation with the new combined Bird & Bird team.'

Central and Eastern Europe

Mr Dederick has been practising in Central and Eastern Europe for more than 25 years, specialising in cross-border M&A, private equity and real estate matters. Partner Konrád Siegler has also been practising in Central and Eastern Europe for more than 25 years. He specialises in banking & finance and capital markets transactions. Bird & Bird's Budapest office has had strong expertise in intellectual property,technology and comms work as well as dispute resolution and data protection matters. The new team has expertise in corporate, commercial, dispute resolution, regulatory and finance work, with key clients in the energy, banking & finance, telecom and media sectors. The combination will also create a strong presence in the sports sector and real estate market. 

Increased presence

Peter Knight, international head of dispute resolution and co-head of Bird & Bird Budapest, says: 'The appointment of David Dederick, Konrád Siegler and their team will significantly increase Bird & Bird’s presence in the Hungarian market and our clients will benefit vastly from the far wider range of services we are now able to offer them. These appointments will allow the combined team to provide deeper and more extensive services across multiple sectors. Strengthening our office in Budapest will benefit our regional strategy within Central and Eastern Europe. We are very excited to welcome our new colleagues, and we will work together to ensure the new combined larger team goes from strength to strength.'

Technology focus

Mr Dederick says: 'I am very excited to join the Bird & Bird team in February. The firm’s international footprint, truly deep sector expertise and the sense of collaboration across their 29 international offices is what struck us as being so appealing. We are particularly impressed with the firm's focus on technology, both as a sector and in client service. We look forward to working with our new colleagues in Budapest and around the world to increase the opportunities and services available to clients based in Hungary and the Central and Eastern European region.'

Background

Weil Gotshal opened its Budapest office in 1991 whilst Bird & Bird opened 10 years ago.